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Backpack vs. Suitcase for Extended Travel

The backpack versus suitcase decision was surprisingly difficult! After much research, forum reading and heated debates amongst ourselves and our friends, Adam and I have both decided to go for the in-between and get a hybrid wheelie backpack.

There are many advocates for backpacks and there are arguments to support suitcases. Backpacks allow for better mobility while suitcases allow you to carry more without breaking your back. Backpackers see suitcase-ers as typical snobby tourists who throw money at everything, while suitcase-ers see backpackers as poorly dressed hippies with bad hygiene.

I was ready to buy a large suitcase, the Samsonite Xspace Spinner to be exact. The large size measures 77.5 cm x 50.8 cm x 27.9 cm. I currently have the carry-on size and think it’s the greatest thing ever. Nothing beats multi-directional wheels! Until they figure out teleportation that is… someone should really get on that.

I originally planned on packing everything I could possibly need into the suitcase, boy scout style, but then I considered the mobility factor. Not all places are wheel friendly. I wouldn’t want to carry my suitcase up a huge flight of stairs or drag it along a bumpy dirt road. I definitely don’t want my suitcase to slow me down or hold me back from any awesome adventures. Not that I’m one to jump at the prospect of adventures, but I figure the less excuses I have the better.

This train of thought convinces me that a backpack would be a better option. However, what I fail to remember, numerous times, is that I am not a physically fit person. The combination of eating a bag of chips for dinner and a non-existent exercise routine doesn’t do much for your muscles… or overall health. Carrying a 60L backpack would very likely wipe me out before I even leave the house.

Right now I’m thinking a hybrid is the way to go. I will roll it around whenever possible, and when necessary I’ll turn it into a backpack for those pesky stairs. This seems like a brilliant idea, but there must be a reason why hybrids aren’t as popular as backpacks or suitcases. Is it because it’s still sort of new and untested? Is it because a hybrid is a jack of all trades but master of none? Does anybody know? …what we are living fooorrrr… sorry, Queen moment.